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The Big Sleep (1946)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Release Date:
31 August 1946 (USA)
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Tagline:
The type of man she hated . . . was the type she wanted ! more
Plot:
Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by a rich family. Before the complex case is over, he's seen murder, blackmail, and what might be love. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
1 win
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NewsDesk:
(19 articles)
Lauren Bacall, Maria Bello, Alec Baldwin: Governors Awards 2009
(From Alternative Film Guide. 15 November 2009, 5:04 PM, PST)
Lauren Bacall, Annette Bening, Jeff Bridges: Governors Awards 2009
(From Alternative Film Guide. 15 November 2009, 4:13 PM, PST)
(From Alternative Film Guide. 15 November 2009, 5:04 PM, PST)
Lauren Bacall, Annette Bening, Jeff Bridges: Governors Awards 2009
(From Alternative Film Guide. 15 November 2009, 4:13 PM, PST)
User Comments:
Complex plot, but well written and well scripted with tough dialogue and great characters
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US TV Schedule:
Cast
(Complete credited cast) | Humphrey Bogart | ... | Philip Marlowe |
 | Lauren Bacall | ... | Vivian Rutledge |
 | John Ridgely | ... | Eddie Mars |
| Martha Vickers | ... | Carmen Sternwood |
| Dorothy Malone | ... | Acme Bookstore Proprietress |
| Peggy Knudsen | ... | Mona Mars |
| Regis Toomey | ... | Chief Inspector Bernie Ohls |
| Charles Waldron | ... | General Sternwood |
| Charles D. Brown | ... | Norris the Butler |
| Bob Steele | ... | Lash Canino |
| Elisha Cook Jr. | ... | Harry Jones |
| Louis Jean Heydt | ... | Joe Brody |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Pat Clark | ... | Mona Mars (scenes deleted) |
| James Flavin | ... | Capt. Cronjager (scenes deleted) |
| Thomas E. Jackson | ... | District Attorney White (scenes deleted) |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
114 min | 116 min (pre-release version)
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound System)
Certification:
Portugal:M/12 |
New Zealand:PG |
Sweden:(Banned) (original rating) |
Argentina:16 |
Australia:M |
Australia:PG (alternate rating) |
Canada:14A (video rating) |
Chile:18 |
Finland:(Banned) (1947-1949) |
Finland:K-16 |
Germany:16 |
Norway:16 |
Sweden:15 (re-rating) (1961) |
UK:PG |
USA:Approved (PCA #10625) |
Iceland:12
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
While working on the script, writers William Faulkner and Leigh Brackett couldn't figure out from the novel who murdered a particular character. So they phoned Raymond Chandler, who angrily told them the answer was right there in the book. They shrugged and returned to their work. Chandler soon phoned to say that he looked at the book himself and couldn't figure out who killed the character, so he left it up to them to decide. In the original cut, shown to the armed services, this question is resolved; in the film as released, it isn't.
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Goofs:
Continuity: When Mr. White asked Marlowe, "your willing to lose your license for the case" Marlowe responds by looking directly at him, but when Mr. White asked him another question, the camera immediately cuts to Marlowe looking the other way (as if he never looked at Mr. White in the first time).
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Quotes:
Eddie Mars:
Your story didn't sound quite right.
Philip Marlowe: Oh, that's too bad. You got a better one?
Eddie Mars: Maybe I can find one.
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Philip Marlowe: Oh, that's too bad. You got a better one?
Eddie Mars: Maybe I can find one.
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Movie Connections:
Referenced in Bogart: The Untold Story (1996) (TV)
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Soundtrack:
And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine
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FAQ
What does the title mean?A Note Regarding Spoilers
Who shot the chauffeur?
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more (168 total)
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Philip Marlowe is a private detective who is hired by General Sternwood to investigate a case of blackmail involving his youngest daughters' gambling debts. The General has lost his right hand man, Shaun Regan, and needs a man able to do the job. Marlowe investigates the blackmailer, Geiger and tails him to a house. When he hears shots he rushes in to find Geiger dead and Carmen strung out of her head. With Geiger dead, Marlowe follows the trail to Joe Brody, who also gets rubbed out, and then to Eddie Mars, who's wife is rumoured to have run off with Regan. As he digs deeper Marlowe finds only corruption and deceit but also starts to fall for the General's eldest daughter, Vivian Rutledge.
Despite the fact that this film is overly complicated at times, it still stands out as a classic bit of noir, even if aspects other than the plot are what really makes it as good as it is. The plot starts simply but quickly becomes a much more complex beast that moves beyond the issue of blackmail and into murder and lies. For many viewers, this will be a challenge - so many characters come and go in a short period that it is hard to keep track of how they all relate to each other, and the fact that we're not always supposed to know the connections just makes it more difficult at times. However, if you manage to make it past the midpoint of the film without having totally lost track of people then it becomes clearer towards the end. It may sound silly, but this time I watched the film with a pen and paper to help me keep track of who's who - it really helped; but it is worth noting that, even with help, bits of the plot will make little sense at times.
The focus of the film is not the plot - the focus of the film I think is the relationship dynamic between Marlowe and Vivian. In this regard the film really works well. The relationship between is tough but trusting no matter what; at times it is a little hard to see the affection between the two being real or realistic but it is the dialogue between the two that makes it work despite this. The writing is fantastic, the scenes between them do fizzle but the dialogue across the whole film is perfect: it is tough, memorable and basically it is the way I'm sure we all wish we could talk at some point in our lives! The material is also quite daring for the period - murder and tough talk was not unusual but the issues of drugs and nymphomania are hardly common subjects for such a mainstream film at the time.
The performances are fantastic and perfectly fit the material. Although this is not my favourite Bogart performance (I love him in Maltese Falcon) he is still brilliant here, he is cool, tough and intelligent - at times his power over women threatens to be unrealistic but his presence makes it work. His character is not as complex as in Maltese Falcon but Bogart does harried and world-weary better than anyone else. Bacall is great even if I don't personally find her that attractive; she has a great chemistry with Bogart and delivers the goods. Vickers is also good but in a less subtle role. The support cast includes tough turns from Cook, Heydt and Ridgely all of whom convince as tough guys but not to the point where they threaten to eclipse the shining star of Bogart.
Overall this is a classic film despite the fact that the plot is too difficult at times and doesn't always hang together. The flaws here are covered by a tough script that delivers the goods in terms of both dialogue and characters. The plot is a complex web but the basic energy and relationship dynamics keep the film moving really well through scenes that continue to show their influence in films today. Not a perfect film but a great bit of noir that is likely to be loved by the vast majority of viewers - just keep that pen and paper to hand though!